A history of concussions forced Jets wide receiver Al Toon to retire after the 1992 season, when he was 29 years old. But the aftereffects of Toon’s eight-year career did not dissipate immediately when he retired. They just became less obvious to the public.

His son, Nick, still saw them. Nick was 4 years old when his dad retired. He remembers little about Al’s career, except some vague memories of being on the field with him after his final game in the old Meadowlands. Shortly after Al retired, the family went to Disney World – a place Nick still loves as an adult. The Toons made the trip there every spring break in those years, but Al couldn’t fully participate in the fun.

“He didn’t always ride all the roller coasters with us because it would bother him a little bit,” Nick said. “I do remember after he got done playing that he was not himself for a while. When you suffer head trauma like that, it’s a serious thing.”

Al has fully recovered now, Nick said, and is living in Wisconsin. In 2004, Al competed in an Ironman Triathlon (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bicycle ride, 26.2-mile run). When the Toons visited Disney World about a year ago, he was on the roller coasters with Nick.

“He’s been riding the roller coasters with me for probably 10, 12, 13 years,” Nick said in a telephone interview. “He fortunately has made a full recovery. He’s in great health now. He doesn’t have any lingering issues.”

On Sunday, Nick will visit his dad’s old stomping grounds – sort of – when the Saints play at the Jets. Nick, a wide receiver, was a fourth-round pick in 2012 by the Saints, out of Wisconsin. He missed his entire rookie year with a foot injury, preventing him from building on a college senior year in which he caught 64 passes for 926 yards and 10 touchdowns – his best season with the Badgers.

This season with the Saints, Toon has three catches for 60 yards. His dad’s accomplishments certainly set a high bar for Nick. Al, who also played at Wisconsin, was the No. 10 overall pick in 1985, had his best season in 1986 (85 catches, 1,176 yards and eight touchdowns), made the Pro Bowl from 1986-88, and played his entire career with the Jets. He finished with 517 catches, 6,605 yards and 31 touchdowns.

Al had tremendous potential as an athlete. In 1984, he competed in the U.S. Olympic trials in the triple jump and hurdles. He is a member of the Jets’ Ring of Honor. When Nick warms up Sunday at the Jets’ new MetLife Stadium, he will be able to look up and see his dad’s name. But you have to wonder how much more Al could have accomplished if not for concussions.

“It’s surreal for him to watch his son get the opportunity to play against his former team,” Nick said. “I know it’s cool for myself as well.”

Al won’t be at the game, because his daughter Molly plays volleyball at Michigan and her Senior Day is Saturday. For much of Nick’s childhood, he didn’t follow in his dad’s footsteps on the football field.

“My dad actually held me out of football as a youngster,” Nick said. “I didn’t start playing football until junior high. He wanted me to experience other things. I played a lot of other sports growing up. I played basketball and ran track and played baseball and played lacrosse. I kind of did a little bit of everything, which I think was, in the long run, beneficial to me, just as an overall athlete. I think it made me a better athlete in general, but also kept me hungry.

“I was excited and hungry when I finally got the opportunity to play football. (He) just kind of (wanted to) make sure that football was a sport that I wanted to play. I think he didn’t want to force my hand in playing the game of football. I think he really just wanted me to get the opportunity to try everything out before I made my mind up.”

Now that Nick is playing football at a high (and often dangerous) level, he said he doesn’t think about the concussions that his father suffered in the NFL. Despite the NFL’s measures to limit head injuries, and a significantly increased awareness of the long-term problems they cause, they are still common in today’s NFL.

For this week’s game, Jets tight end Jeff Cumberland is questionable with a concussion. Three other Jets players have suffered them this season: wide receivers Jeremy Kerley and Stephen Hill, and cornerback Kyle Wilson. During training camp, running back Joe McKnight, who is no longer on the team, struggled with a head injury.

“That’s part of the game,” Nick said. “The league has taken steps to try to help prevent head injuries. I think they’ve definitely made strides. It’s part of the game and it happens every week. Football is a violent game. It’s going to continue to happen. But it’s not something that I worry about or think about. Fortunately, I’ve never had any serious head trauma, and hopefully it stays that way. But it’s just a violent game. You never know what’s going to happen. Just hope that it doesn’t happen.”